purr
or pur
[ pur ]
/ pɜr /
verb (used without object)
to utter a low, continuous, murmuring sound expressive of contentment or pleasure, as a cat does.
(of things) to make a sound suggestive of the purring of a cat: The new motor of the car purred.
verb (used with object)
to express by or as if by purring.
noun
the low, vibrating sound made by a cat by the contracting of the laryngeal muscles and the diaphragm as it breathes.
a sound resembling this.
the act of purring.
Words nearby purr
purpura simplex, purpure, purpuric, purpurin, purpurinuria, purr, purree, purse, purse crab, purse seine, purse strings
Origin of purr
First recorded in 1595–1605; imitative
OTHER WORDS FROM purr
purr·ing·ly, adverbDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Examples from the Web for purr
British Dictionary definitions for purr
purr
/ (pɜː) /
verb
(intr) (esp of cats) to make a low vibrant sound, usually considered as expressing pleasure, etc
(tr) to express (pleasure, etc) by this sound
noun
a purring sound
Word Origin for purr
C17: of imitative origin; compare French ronronner to purr, German schnurren, Dutch snorren
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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